The Vascular Anomalies Clinic in Madison, Wisconsin, combines the talents of a wide range of pediatric specialty physicians to evaluate and treat both children and adults with blood vessels that have developed abnormally.

Our Approach to Care

The Vascular Anomalies Clinic brings together the most relevant physicians from a wide range of pediatric specialties to evaluate patients and form the best treatment plans. The treatment team varies according to the patients' needs, and can include experts in the areas of pediatric plastic and reconstructive surgery, general surgery, heart care, neurosurgery, oncology, ophthalmology, radiology and more.

Our goal is to make patient evaluations as easy and efficient as possible for patients and families. The Vascular Anomalies Clinic lets parents make one appointment to access the talents of the pediatric specialists most qualified to treat the patients, whether they be children or adults.

What are vascular anomalies?

Vascular anomalies are blood vessels such as arteries, veins, lymphatic vessels, and capillaries which have developed abnormally. In patients, vascular anomalies can look like birthmarks or are undetectable to the eye.

Vascular anomalies can be inherited genetically, but the exact cause is not known. Hemangiomas often look like birthmarks - they are red or purple and compressible to the touch.

Vascular anomalies that grow beneath the skin often do not look out of the ordinary but can result in headaches, seizures and the improper flow of oxygen in the blood, which can cause development delays in speech and language.

Diagnosis and Treatment

The Vascular Anomalies Clinic team use American Family Children's Hospital's angiography/catheter laboratory for accurate diagnosis and treatment of vascular anomalies. The laboratory provides state-of-the-art imaging techniques which produce more accurate images and expose our young patients to lower doses of radiation.

Using these images, our physicians collaborate to form treatment plans, including:

Surgical removal of the vascular anomaly

Embolization, during which doctors inject material into the vessels to prevent the flow of blood to the anomaly

Sclerotherapy, during which clotting medication is injected directly into the anomaly

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